“A bill to establish an Office of Environmental Justice within the Department of Justice, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes the Office of Environmental Justice within the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Environment and Natural Resources Division to address environmental justice matters (i.e., civil or criminal matters involving disproportionate adverse environmental or human health effects on low-income communities—defined as census block groups where 30% or more of the population has household income equal to or less than the greater of 80% of area median income or 200% of the federal poverty line—or Tribal, Indigenous, or other communities with environmental justice concerns). The Attorney General must provide necessary personnel and funding and appoint a Director, who shall: (1) develop and update every five years a DOJ environmental justice strategy; (2) coordinate such matters across DOJ and U.S. Attorneys' offices; (3) administer the grant program under section 3 of the Empowering and Enforcing Environmental Justice Act of 2025; (4) promote public participation in environmental justice decision-making; (5) counsel and assist state, local, Tribal governments, and Indigenous populations; (6) support state and local environmental enforcement training; (7) work with the Community Relations Service to facilitate relationships among stakeholders; (8) organize at least bimonthly calls or meetings with environmental justice organizations and communities; (9) manage the Senior Advisory Council; (10) recommend community participation in administrative settlement agreements; and (11) develop training materials, education programs, an email resource, joint activities, and a continuing legal education course on environmental justice for DOJ personnel.
This section establishes a grant program within the Department of Justice's Office of Environmental Justice, to be implemented not later than 180 days after enactment, to improve State, local, and Tribal governments' capacity to enforce environmental laws involving environmental justice matters (i.e., civil or criminal matters with disproportionate adverse environmental or human health effects on low-income, minority, Tribal, or Indigenous communities). The Assistant Attorney General may award competitive grants of not less than $50,000 and not more than $1,000,000 (federal share not to exceed 80 percent, unless waived) to such governments solely for (1) training enforcement agencies, (2) hiring staff to assist in investigations, prosecutions, and enforcement, or (3) collaborative programs providing technical and legal assistance, outreach, and engagement to environmental justice communities. The Attorney General must submit reports to specified congressional committees (i.e., Senate and House Committees on Environment and Public Works or Energy and Commerce and the Judiciary) 18 months after enactment and every two years thereafter, and $50 million is authorized annually for FY2026 through FY2035.